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AHERICAN  SOCIETY 

OF 

CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 


1  A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS 
AND  LEGISLATION  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


BY 


Marsden  Manson,  M.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E. 


WITH  DISCUSSION  BY 

Messrs.  JAMES  OWEN,  GEORGE  W.  TILLSON  and  MARSDEN 

MANSON. 


Reprinted  from  Transactions ,  Vol.  xlviii,  page  327.  (1902.) 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS. 

INSTITUTED  185  2. 


TRANSACTIONS. 


Paper  No.  926. 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  AND 
LEGISLATION  IN  CALIFORNIA.* 

A 

By  Mabsden  Manson,  M.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E. 


With  Discussion  by  Messes.  James  Owen,  Geokge  W.  Teluson  and 
Mabsden  Manson. 


“The  good  roads  agitation,”  which  forced  itself  upon  the  people 
of  the  United  States  a  decade  or  more  ago,  took  definite  shape  in 
California  in  1895.  For  several  years  previous,  highways  were  the 
subject  of  earnest  consideration  by  organized  official  and  semi-official 
bodies  and  by  individuals  throughout  this  state.  The  most  import¬ 
ant  and  influential  of  these  bodies  was  a  road  convention,  held  in 
Sacramento  in  1894,  which  was  inaugurated  by  the  Sacramento 
Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  and  was  attended 
by  delegates  from  various  public  and  quasi-public  organizations,  and 
by  individuals. 

The  result  of  the  discussions  throughout  the  state,  and  notably  of 
the  convention  above  mentioned,  was  a  law,f  approved  March  27th, 
1895,  creating  a  Bureau  of  Highways  for  two  years. 

This  law  required  the  appointment  of  three  commissioners,  who 
were  to  make  a  broad  and  exhaustive  study:  First,  of  the  laws  apper- 


*  Presented  at  the  meeting  of  April  2d,  1902. 
t  Statutes,  California,  1895. 


328 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


taming  to  highways  in  this  and  other  states;  second,  of  the  physical 
features  of  the  state  and  their  relation  to  a  system  of  roads;  third,  of 
the  economic  and  legal  status  of  the  highway  conditions  in  each 
county  in  the  state;  and  finally,  to  make  a  presentation,  of  the  facts 
and  conclusions  reached,  in  the  form  of  a  report,  commending  such 
measures  as  the  Bureau  deemed  advisable.  The  law  also  required 
that  one  or  more  members  of  the  Bureau,  during  each  of  the  two^ 
years  of  its  existence,  should  visit  each  county  in  the  state,  and  hold 
public  meetings  for  the  consideration  and  discussion  of  matters  per¬ 
taining  to  highway  improvement.  To  carry  out  the  provisions  of  this, 
law,  an  appropriation  of  $31  000  was  made. 

The  area  over  which  these  duties  were  to  extend  embraces  some 
153  600  sq.  miles.  It  confronts  the  Pacific  Ocean  along  a  coast  line 
more  than  1  000  miles  in  length,  between  the  42d  and  32d  parallels 
of  north  latitude,  and  lies  between  the  114th  and  124th  meridians  of 
west  longitude,  extending  through  9|°  of  latitude  and  10°  of  longi¬ 
tude.  This  area,  if  laid  out  upon  the  Atlantic  Seaboard,  would  cover 
the  territory  from  New  York  City  to  Savannah,  or  nearly  the  area  of 
one-fourth  of  the  original  thirteen  states.  If  laid  out  upon  the 
European  and  African  Coast,  in  corresponding  latitudes,  it  would 
reach  from  Valladolid,  in  Spain,  across  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to 
Morocco,  the  capital  of  the  country  of  the  same  name,  in  Africa. 

These  comparative  areas  are  shown  on  the  accompanying  maps. 
Figs.  1  and  2,  which  convey  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  country  over 
which  the  work  was  to  extend. 

Configuration. 

The  area  under  consideration  is  principally  mountain  and  rolling 
land  of  great  diversity  of  features.  Two  ranges  of  mountains  traverse 
it  from  northwest  to  southeast — the  Sierra  Nevada  in  the  eastern,  and 
the  Coast  Bange  in  the  western  part  of  the  state.  The  mean  elevation 
of  the  crest  of  the  former  is  about  8  000  ft.,  and  that  of  the  latter 
about  3  000  ft.  Besides  the  numerous  valleys  contained  between 
their  spurs  and  lateral  ranges,  their  foot-hills  enclose  the  great  central 
valley  of  California.  The  area  of  this  valley  is  about  the  same  as  that 
of  the  valley  of  the  Po;  the  average  dimensions  of  that  portion  which 
is  below  the  400-ft.  contour  above  sea  level  being  400  miles  long  and 
40  miles  wide.  Tehachapi  Pass,  at  the  extreme  southern  end,  and 


Fig.  1.  Fig.  2. 


329 


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HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


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330  HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITION'S  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

Acme  Summit,  at  the  base  of  Mt.  Shasta,  are  important  entrances 
into  the  great  valley.  The  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers,  and 
their  tributaries,  water  and  drain  the  valley;  their  combined  water¬ 
sheds  embrace  an  area  of  58  100  sq.  miles,  situated  principally  upon 
the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  the  eastern  slope  of  £he 
Coast  Range.  The  edges  of  this  water-shed  are  the  crests  of  the  two 
ranges  of  mountains,  except  an  area  extending  into  Oregon  in  the 
drainage  basin  of  Goose  Lake,  which  lake  when  full  drains  into  Pitt 
River,  one  of  the  main  tributaries  of  the  Sacramento.  The  eastern 
crest  rises  from  6  800  to  15  000  ft. ,  and  the  western  crest  rises  from  a 
single  tide-level  gap  at  Carquinez  Straits  to  elevations  of  900  to 
9  000  ft.  The  gaps  in  these  mountain  ranges,  and  the  ridge  and 
valley  lines  subdividing  and  lying  between  them,  constitute  con¬ 
trolling  features  in  the  development  of  a  road  system. 

Climate. 

In  variety  of  climate,  the  area  under  consideration  presents  a  wider 
range  than  do  both  the  comparative  areas  just  described.  Besides  the 
climatic  variations,  due  to  difference  of  latitude  or  distance  from  the 
sea,  California  presents  a  wide  range  of  temperature,  due  to  differences 
in  elevation.  These  differences  extend  from  the  arctic  temperatures 
of  15  000  ft.  above,  to  the  semi-torrid  climate  of  areas  400  ft.  below,  sea 
level.  Between  these  extremes  every  grade  of  temperature  and 
exposure  exists.  In  the  hotter  portions,  fruits  and  vegetables  grow 
without  intermission  during  the  entire  year;  while  upon  the  colder 
heights  frosts  form  in  midsummer,  and  only  the  hardiest  boreal  plant 
life  exists.  Severe  frosts  and  freezing  are  limited  to  the  most  elevated 
parts  of  the  state.  In  the  greater  portion  of  the  higher  mountains 
snow  falls  before  severe  freezing  weather  occurs,  and  remains  until  the 
warm  weather  of  spring,  thus  protecting  from  frost  action  the  road¬ 
beds  in  these  regions;  and  hence  no  great  precautions  are  necessary  to 
resist  its  injurious  action  upon  roads. 

Rainfall. 

California  occupies  a  position  between  the  north  temperate  and 
the  equatorial  rain  belts.  The  northern  part  of  the  state  is  just  within 
reach  of  the  summer  rains  of  the  north  temperature  rain  belt;  and  the 
mountains  of  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  state  are  frequently 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


331 


reached  by  the  “  Sonora  rains,”  which  extend  in  summer  over  North¬ 
ern  Mexico  and  into  Arizona,  and  which  originate  in  the  equatorial 
rain  belt.  The  winter  rains  of  the  entire  state  are  principally  depend¬ 
ent  upon  the  southern  extension  of  the  north  temperate  rain  belt  as 
that  hemisphere  is  turned  away  from  solar  energy.  Therefore  the  state 
has  winter  rains,  and  enjoys  a  comparatively  rainless  summer. 

The  mean  annual  precipitation  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state 
and  upon  the  exposed  flanks  of  the  Sierras  and  Coast  Range  is  70  to 
80  ins. ;  while  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  state  there  are  com¬ 
paratively  rainless  areas,  receiving  from  2  to  4  ins.  annually.  Between 
these  two  extremes,  again,  there  lies  every  degree  of  annual  moisture. 
This  precipitation,  however,  is  rarely  so  heavy  that  a  properly  located, 
well-surfaced,  and  well-drained  roadbed  will  be  badly  washed. 

Vegetation. 

The  distribution  and  variety  of  vegetation  over  an  area  of  such 
extreme  range  of  climatic  and  moisture  conditions  are  also  of  wide 
range,  both  in  species  and  density.  The  forest  growth  is  sometimes  so 
dense  that  more  than  1  000  000  ft.  of  lumber  can  be  cut  from  a  single 
acre,  but  in  the  drier  portions  of  the  state  it  is  difficult  or  impossible  to 
get  shade  trees  to  grow,  and  other  areas  are  absolutely  devoid  of  vegeta¬ 
tion.  In  the  densely  timbered  areas,  clearing  and  grubbing  are  expen¬ 
sive,  and  the  shading  of  the  roadway  causes  it  to  remain  wet  longer 
than  is  desirable. 

Natural  Resources. 

Besides  these  physical  features  which  have  to  be  considered,  there 
are  four  belts  of  natural  resources  which  have  controlled  the  time, 
locus,  and  mode  of  development  of  certain  industries.  These  directly 
influence  a  road  system,  and  determine  controlling  points  of  popula¬ 
tion  and  trade. 

In  progression  eastwardly,  and  in  order  of  development,  these  are : 

First — The  mineral  belt,  commencing  in  Del  Norte  County,  and 
reaching  southeastwardly  through  the  entire  limits  of  the  state; 

Second. — The  agricultural  belt  of  16  000  sq.  miles  of  fertile  land,  in 
the  Valley  of  California; 

Third. — The  timber  belt,  commencing  in  the  northwesterly  corner 
of  the  state,  and  extending  southeastwardly  to  the  Golden  Gate; 


332 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


Fourth. — The  fruit  belt,  commencing  at  the  base  of  Mt.  St.  Helena, 
and  extending  southerly  to  the  national  boundary. 

Each  of  these  belts  is  interspersed  with  sources  of  wealth  other 
than  those  which  characterize  it ;  as,  for  instance,  the  Sierra  timber 
belt  which  lies  east  of  and  along  the  mineral  deposits  on  the  flanks  of 
the  Sierras,  and  the  foot-hill  fruit  belt  at  their  base.  The  foregoing 
classification,  however,  marks  the  predominant  natural  wealth  of  each 
of  the  various  sections. 

At  advantageous  points  along  each  of  these  belts,  centers  of  popu¬ 
lation  are  growing  up.  The  problem  of  laying  out  the  lines  of  com¬ 
munication  which  must  for  all  time  control  the  travel  and  traffic  of  the 
state,  therefore,  must  be  subservient  to  two  great  controlling  factors: 
First,  these  roads  must  lie  along  those  lines,  determined  by  Nature, 
which  offer  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  second,  they  must  subserve 
the  economic  purposes  demanded  in  the  development  of  the  state. 

Occurrence  of  Road-Building  Materials. 

The  Department  of  Highways  extended  the  work  of  investigating 
the  various  materials  suitable  for  road  surfacing,  and  these  investiga¬ 
tions  showed  that  there  is  an  abundance  of  materials  over  the  entire 
state  which  can  be  utilized  with  great  benefit  to  economic  road  main¬ 
tenance.  In  almost  every  county  adequate  materials  exist,  which,  if 
utilized  with  skill  and  judgment,  will  make  good  metal.  The  failures 
to  utilize  these  materials  have  been  due  in  part  to  a  lack  of  knowledge 
as  to  their  character,  and  of  technical  skill  as  to  the  mode  of  using  them. 

All  hard,  silicious  rocks,  such  as  chert,  jasper,  quartz,  quartzite, 
etc.,  the  volcanic  rocks  (trap  and  basalt),  and  a  wide  series  of  meta- 
morphic  rocks  occur  abundantly.  In  addition,  bowlders,  cobbles  and 
gravel  of  miscellaneous  composition,  but  exceedingly  hard  and  dura¬ 
ble,  are  scattered  over  great  areas.  Hard  limestone  and  some  of  the 
silicious  shales  occur  in  many  counties.  Occurring  with  these  rocks 
are  others  which  are  inferior  or  useless  for  road  surfacing.  Many 
instances  of  failure  in  the  use  of  rock  have  been  due  to  the  selection 
of  the  wrong  material.  Again,  the  proper  selection  has  been  made, 
but  the  materials  have  not  been  properly  utilized.  The  best  rock 
roughly  cracked  up  and  dumped  over  a  road  will  no  more  make  a  road 
surface  than  shingles  dumped  on  a  shed  and  scattered  with  a  lake  will 
make  a  roof. 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


333 


The  best  rock  must  be  selected,  properly  crushed  aud  screened, 
and  then  spread,  sprinkled,  and  rolled  in  layers  over  a  well-graded 
and  drained  surface.  In  one  county,  an  excellent  binding  material, 
a  soft  limestone,  was  found.  It  was  being  hauled  a  considerable 
distance,  and  used  almost  alongside  of  the  hardest  and  most  durable 
chert,  with  which  a  small  proportion  of  the  limestone  should  have 
been  used  as  a  binding  or  cementing  material.  This  would  have 
given  a  better  and  more  durable  road  surface  and  saved  the  long  haul 
from  the  limestone  quarry  of  nine-tenths  of  the  stone  used. 

Legal  Considerations. 

In  addition  to  the  physical  conditions,  there  are  others  imposed 
by  the  administration  of  the  law  in  the  various  political  divisions  of 
the  state.  The  state  is  divided  into  fifty-seven  counties,  which  range 
in  area  from  the  20  000  sq.  miles  of  San  Bernardino  County  to  the 
43  sq.  miles  of  San  Francisco  County ;  and  in  taxable  wealth  from  the 
$400  000  000  of  this  latter  county  to  the  $260  000  of  Alpine  County. 
Furthermore,  these  counties  are  divided  by  law  into  fifty-three 
“classes,”  in  each  of  which  material  variations  are  presented  in  the 
number,  compensation,  and  duties  of  county  officers. 

The  entire  matter  of  road -building  and  maintenance  has  been  in 
the  hands  of  the  Boards  of  Supervisors  of  these  counties,  or  in  the 
charge  of  Boad  Overseers,  elected  in  the  road  districts  into  which 
the  counties  were  subdivided.  The  abuses  incident  to  the  latter 
control  were  so  great  that  the  roads  were  placed  under  the  control 
of  the  Boards  of  Supervisors,  each  member  being  made  Road  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  his  district.  The  control  of  road  funds  under  Road  Over¬ 
seers  became  so  vital  a  matter  in  local  politics  that  at  elections  the 
votes  for  Presidential  Elector  were  sometimes  “swapped  ”  for  those 
for  Road  Overseer. 

The  laws  under  which  the  county  officers  administer  road  affairs 
have  been  so  modified,  amended  and  added  to,  in  the  past  forty  or 
more  years,  that  they  are  contradictory  and  inapplicable.  Amend¬ 
ments  made  to  correct  difficulties,  abuses  or  even  physical  conditions, 
in  one  portion  of  the  state  have  made  ‘ ;  confusion  worse  confounded  ” 
in  other  portions.  Hence,  the  exact  provisions  of  the  code  were  not 
only  un ascertainable,  but  in  many  instances  inapplicable,  and, 
furthermore,  subject  to  different  interpretations  by  different  officials. 


334 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


The  obstacles  to  be  dealt  with  are  therefore  of  two  classes:  (1) 
physical;  (2)  political. 

Of  these,  the  first  can  be  met  by  the  engineer  in  almost  any  form, 
provided  the  necessities  for  overcoming  them  warrant  the  raising  of 
the  required  funds. 

The  second  class,  or  political  obstacles,  are  so  entrenched  by  cus¬ 
tom  and  control  that  only  long  devotion  to  civic  duty  by  a  majority 
of  the  voters  of  a  county  or  state  can  correct  them,  and  the  attack 
cannot  be  made  successfully  until  justified  by  the  state  of  public 
opinion. 

The  system  of  placing  county  road  matters  in  the  hands  of  a  Board 
of  Supervisors,  not  one  of  whom  is  trained  for  the  work,  is  radically 
wrong.  It  happens  frequently  that  members  of  these  boards  are  faith¬ 
ful,  energetic  men,  who  are  devoted  to  the  duties  of  the  office,  and 
discharge  their  obligations  to  the  public  with  honest  efficiency. 
Many  instances  of  this  kind  were  met  by  the  writer  in  various  parts 
of  the  state. 

The  works  of  these  officials  might  be  considered  models,  when  the 
obstacles  and  difficulties  under  which  they  were  executed  were  con¬ 
sidered.  But,  unfortunately,  this  was  not  the  rule.  In  the  majority 
of  instances  road  moneys  were  regarded  as  the  funds  from  which  to 
pay  political  debts  and  obligations,  or  were  to  be  called  upon  just 
before  elections  for  the  purpose  of  putting  an  army  of  “workers  ”  on 
the  roads  where  they  “  would  do  the  most  good,”  not  to  the  roads,  but 
to  some  candidate. 

This  absurd  and  obscure  condition  of  the  law  and  its  administra¬ 
tion  can  be  understood  only  when  the  actual  conditions  of  road  man¬ 
agement  in  the  entire  country,  previous  to  and  during  that  period  of 
its  history  in  which  California  has  developed,  are  considered;  and, 
without  the  consideration  of  these  conditions,  road  mismanagement 
by  an  intelligent  people  is  inexplicable.  Hence  it  becomes  necessary 
to  review  very  briefly  the  modes  of  road  development  in  the  United 
States  since  the  advent  of  the  railroad. 

Historical  Notes. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  century,  the  prosperity  and  develop¬ 
ment  succeeding  the  War  of  the  Bevolution  required  ample  and 
extended  means  of  communication.  The  common  roads  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


335 


country  were  supplemented  by  toll  roads,  which  were  built  by  com¬ 
panies,  on  franchises  granted  for  variable  periods.  These  toll  roads 
were  frequently  built  of  plank,  but  were  generally  of  earth  and 
gravel. 

The  exaction  of  toll  upon  these  roads  became  burdensome  and  re¬ 
strictive  of  development;  consequently,  the  acquisition  of  many  of 
them  became  a  public  necessity.  From  that  date  to  the  present  ve 
have  had  it  impressed  upon  us  that  whenever  those  utilities  which 
the  people  should  provide  and  control  for  themselves  have  been 
farmed  out  to  corporations,  oppression  has  resulted— no  matter 
whether  the  farmed-out  franchises  were  a  toll  road  from  Pitts¬ 
burg  to  Philadelphia,  or  a  transcontinental  railroad  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 

The  necessities  for  cheap  transportation  became  so  great  that  the 
United  States  Congress,  cabinet  officers,  the  President— in  fact, 
almost  all  the  functions  of  the  National,  State  and  County  Govern¬ 
ments  were  engaged  in  the  study  and  practical  application  of  the 
science  of  road  building.  Reports  of  cabinet  officers,  messages  of 
the  Presidents,  and  the  views  of  the  leading  statesmen  of  our  country, 
bearing  on  this  subject,  are  very  common  in  Government  documents 
during  the  early  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Notable  among 
these  are : 

1.  — The  Act  admitting  Ohio,  in  1802,  and  setting  apart  5%  of  the 
sales  of  public  lands  as  a  road  construction  fund.  These  sales  netted 
something  over  $750  000  in  a  few  years. 

2.  — The  bill  introduced  by  Mr.  Tracy,  of  Connecticut,  and  approved 
in  1806  by  President  Jefferson.  The  debates  on  this  Act  show  how 
deeply  the  road  question  interested  the  country. 

3.  — The  speech  of  Mr.  Calhoun  in  favor  of  placing  the  bonus  on 
all  bonds  sold,  and  dividends  of  the  national  banks,  in  a  fund  for 
the  construction  of  roads  and  canals;  this  fund  would  have 
amounted  to  nearly  $750  000  annually.  This  bill,  however,  was  vetoed 
by  President  Monroe,  in  1817,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  unconstitu¬ 
tional;  even  if  the  States  gave  their  consent  to  the  provisions  of  the 
law. 

An  extensive  system  of  roads  was  projected  and  partly  constructed 
by  Congress.  The  most  noted  were  the  “National  Turnpikes”  in 
Maryland,  Virginia,  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  which  aggregated  several 


336 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


hundred  miles  in  length,  and  received  Congressional  appropriations 
amounting  to  $7  000  000  in  annual  appropriations  of  from  $30  000  to 
$500  000. 

Finally,  in  1834-35,  an  appropriation  of  $300  000  was  made  for 
repairing  the  National  roads  in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and  Vir¬ 
ginia,  and  when  repaired  they  were  transferred  to  these  states. 

Just  as  road  building,  fostered  by  our  government  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  skilful  engineers,  became  a  science,  the  invention  of  the 
locomotive  and  the  consequent  development  of  railroad  building  came 
about.  At  once,  all  the  energies  of  our  people  were  centered  upon 
this  new  mode  of  transportation.  So  great  was  the  impetus  thus 
given,  that  the  United  States  soon  ran  far  ahead  of  other  countries  in 
mileage  of  railroad.  For  generations  the  building  of  roads  was  for¬ 
gotten,  and  the  building  of  railroads  stimulated  and  fostered.  The 
highest  skill  of  the  trained  engineers  of  the  country  has  been  and  is 
engaged  in  the  general  and  special  work  of  building,  equipping  and 
operating  railroads. 

During  this  period  of  railroad  growth  and  development,  roads 
have  been  neglected  to  such  an  extent  that  generations  have  grown  up 
who  have  never  seen  a  road.  They  have  learned  to  speak  of  streaks  of 
dust  or  mud,  as  the  case  may  be,  as  roads — have  actually  learned  to 
regard  them  as  such,  and  solemnly  dedicate  the  same  to  public  use, 
with  all  due  legal  form,  as  if  they  really  were  well-located,  graded, 
drained  and  thoroughly  metaled  highways.  The  engineers  of  the 
country  have  so  seldom,  until  lately,  been  engaged  on  roadwork  that 
they,  too,  have  looked  upon  road  building  as  a  lost  art  which  at  one 
time  was  practiced  by  the  ancients. 

Under  these  conditions  California  was  settled,  and  her  laws  for 
road  location,  construction  and  management,  were  framed  and 
developed  during  a  period  when  road  building  was  at  its  lowest  ebb. 

The  road  system  of  California,  therefore,  grew  up  during  a  period 
of  general  road  decadence  throughout  the  entire  United  States.  It 
has  also  had  a  makeshift  system  grafted  upon  it  from  the  start.  The 
energies  which  led  the  pioneers  to  traverse  a  continent  in  the  search 
for  gold  was  coupled  with  a  love  of  home  which  limited  their  contem¬ 
plated  stay  in  California  to  the  shortest  possible  period  consistent 
with  the  acquirement  of  wealth.  They  were,  therefore,  content  with 
trails,  roads  and  bridges  which  were  essentially  temporary  or  make- 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  337 


shift  in  character.  Consequently,  Californians  have  learned  to  regard 
road  building  and  maintenance  as  the  result  of  temporary  expedients 
resorted  to  only  when  forced  by  necessity.  In  some  instances,  where 
wise  forethought  has  prompted  permanent  work  and  materials,  the 
step  has  been  regarded  as  an  expensive  “  experiment,”  and  the  officials 
inaugurating  these  improvements  have  been  accused  of  extravagance. 

It  is,  therefore,  not  so  much  a  matter  of  surprise  that  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  affairs  mentioned  in  the  earlier  part  of  this  paper  grew  up 
along  such  systemless  and  extravagant  lines. 

But  the  expense  of  operating  bad  roads  forced  a  consideration  of 
the  methods  necessary  for  correct  road  location,  construction  and 
maintenance.  The  state  had  in  1895  reached  the  limit  of  development 
possible  under  bad  roads,  and  further  development  was  and  is  yet 
dependent  upon  the  systematic  construction  of  highways  of  the  most 
approved  type. 

Under  these  necessities,  the  law  of  1895,  previously  mentioned, 
was  passed. 

Legislation. 

After  two  years  spent  in  investigating  the  subject  and  in  examin¬ 
ing  the  conditions  thoughout  the  state,  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Bureau  of  Highways  recommended  minor  changes  in  the  then  existing 
laws — principally  to  harmonize  them — and  four  general  laws.  These 
were : 

(1)  — An  Act  to  classify  the  roads  of  the  State  into  (a)  State  High¬ 
ways;  (b)  County  Thoroughfares;  (c)  District  Roads. 

(2)  — An  Act  empowering  the  State  to  gradually  take  charge  of, 
construct  and  maintain  highways  of  the  first  class,  and  making  pro¬ 
vision  therefor,  by  the  levy  of  a  tax  of  2£  cents  on  the  $100  of  assessed 
valuation. 

(3)  — An  Act  regulating  the  width  of  tires. 

(4)  — An  Act  creating  a  Department  of  Highways. 

(5)  — An  Amendment  reducing  the  maximum  rate  of  road  taxation 
from  40  to  35  cents  per  $100  of  assessed  valuation. 

The  objects  and  principles  of  these  laws  had  been  announced  and 
discussed,  during  the  year  preceding  their  introduction,  in  every 
county  seat  and  important  town,  and  had  met  with  the  general  ap¬ 
proval  of  the  citizens  and  the  press.  Each  of  the  political  parties 


338 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


had  put  a  “  plank”  in  its  “  platform,”  looking  to  the  betterment  of 
road  conditions,  which  was  supposed  to  pledge  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  to  remedial  measures. 

Of  these  proposed  acts,  only  one — that  regulating  the  width  of  tires 
— became  a  law.  This  was  drawn  to  go  into  effect  in  1900.  It  met  with 
the  disapproval  of  the  dealers  in  and  manufacturers  of  wagons,  and  at 
the  extra  session  in  1899-1900  was  rendered  inoperative. 

The  law  classifying  roads  was  radically  changed  by  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  clauses  which  would  permit  of  making  unimportant  roads 
State  Highways,  when  they  could  never  form  the  essential  parts  or 
links  of  a  great  highway  system,  and  would,  furthermore,  place  no 
limit  on  the  mileage  of  such  additions  to  the  State’s  obligation. 
Recognizing  the  evils  of  these  changes,  the  Executive  withheld  his 
signature. 

The  bill  providing  for  State  construction  and  maintenance  of  high¬ 
ways  of  the  first  class  was  amended  to  entirely  alter  its  purport,  and 
was  vetoed  by  the  Governor. 

The  recommendation  to  levy  2|  cents  on  the  $100,  for  the  construc¬ 
tion  of  State  Highways,  was  also  radically  changed  by  extracting 
essential  features  and  incorporating  them  in  another  bill,  practically 
placing  85%  of  that  levy  to  the  credit  of  the  counties,  to  be  expended 
under  and  by  county  authorities;  also,  providing  that  state  officials 
should  indorse  bonds  issued  by  the  counties,  and,  in  default  of  the 
counties  paying  the  interest  thereon,  that  the  State  should  collect  and 
pay  such  interest.  These  provisions  were  contrary  to  the  plain  pro¬ 
visions  of  Article  IV,  Section  31,  of  the  Constitution,  which  prohibits 
the  granting  of  the  money  or  credit  of  the  State  to  political  or  other 
corporations  or  to  persons.  These  measures  failed  to  become  laws,  as 
did  the  bill  previously  mentioned. 

The  bill  creating  the  Department  of  Highways  was  amended,  for 
partisan  purposes,  so  as  to  give  patronage  in  State  elections. 

The  recommendation  to  reduce  the  maximum  rate  of  taxation  for 
road  purposes  from  40  to  35  cents  per  $100  was  not  considered  by  the 
Legislature,  and,  instead  of  a  reduction,  the  maximum  was  raised  to  62^ 
cents  per  $100  of  assessed  valuation,  by  the  addition  of  certain  district 
levies. 

An  act,  constituting  Chapter  CCLIXIV  of  the  Statutes  and  Amend¬ 
ments  to  the  Code,  1897,  was  introduced  as  an  “urgent  necessity,” and 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  339 


passed  during  tlie  last  eighteen  hours  of  the  session.  It  was  known  as 
the  “Clark  Koad  Law.”  It  was  never  printed  or  submitted  to  con¬ 
sideration,  and  its  existence  was  kept  secret  from  the  members  of  the 
Bureau  of  Highways.  This  law  subsequently  came  before  the  Supreme 
Court,*  and  was  declared  illegal. 

An  act  intended  to  provide  a  connecting  link  between  the  roads  on 
either  side  of  the  Sierras  and  between  the  Yosemite  Valley  and  the 
basin  of  Mono  Lake  was  also  passed,  but,  the  title  being  defective,  it 
failed  to  receive  the  signature  of  the  Governor. 

The  Legislature  of  1897  also  made  a  conditional  appropriation  of 
dimension  stone  for  substructures  and  of  crushed  rock  for  macadam¬ 
izing  the  road  from  Sacramento  to  Folsom,  a  distance  of  about  20  miles. 
Near  this  latter  point  one  of  the  state  penitentiaries  is  situated,  and 
convict  labor  was  to  quarry,  dress,  or  crush  the  rock.  The  condition 
of  this  appropriation  of  materials  was  that  the  county  should  provide 
the  funds  necessary  to  grade  the  roadbed,  distribute  and  roll  the 
crushed  rock,  etc. 

This  road  was  to  be  a  model  for  the  state  and  county  officers,  who 
meet  biennially  at  the  Capitol. 

The  work  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  non-technical  commission. 
The  members  of  the  Department  of  Highways  undertook  to  present 
the  matter  to  the  county  officials  and  the  people  of  the  county  for  a 
bond  election.  This  election  resulted  very  favorably,  but  the  legal 
provisions  and  steps  were  not  fully  in  accordance  with  the  law,  and  the 
courts  declared  the  bond  issue  invalid. 

This,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  the  first  two  years’  attempt  to  insti¬ 
tute  system  and  economy  in  road  work  in  California. 

The  work,  however,  was  continued  through  a  Department  of 
Highways,  which  took  the  place  of  the  previous  Bureau,  and  for  two 
years  consisted  of  three  members,  and  thereafter  of  one  member,  who 
was  to  be  appointed  for  four  years. 

The  Department  of  Highways  thus  created  continued  the  work 
provided  for  by  law,  but,  by  lack  of  funds,  was  not  permitted  to 
execute  any  important  road  work.  The  members  acted  in  an  advisory 
capacity  to  County  Boards  of  Supervisors  and  to  County  Surveyors. 
In  a  few  instances  opportunities  were  found  to  practically  advance 
road  building. 


*  In  Davis  vs.  Whidden,  117  Cal.,  618. 


340 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


In  laying  out  a  system  of  highways  it  must  be  recognized  that  there 
are  two  main  principles  to  be  followed.  First:  The  main  highways  of 
the  state  and  its  counties  are  lines  along  which  the  travel  and  traffic  of 
an  indefinite  future  must  move,  and  it  is  therefore  necessary  to  locate 
these  lines  on  the  most  advantageous  ground,  irrespective  of  tempo¬ 
rary  private  interests,  which  at  most  can  last  for  only  one  or  two  gen¬ 
erations.  After  roads  have  been  located  upon  these  lines  no  false 
economy  or  makeshift  methods  should  be  allowed;  the  drains,  cul¬ 
verts  and  bridges  should  be  of  masonry,  the  roadbed  graded  to  true 
lines,  and  a  sprinkling  plant  provided.  Finally,  the  surface  should 
be  metaled  with  the  best  available  rock.  To  attempt  this  upon  all 
roads,  with  the  entire  road  fund  of  each  county,  is  not  practicable. 
Existing  roads,  however  bad,  must  be  maintained  so  as  to  permit  of 
reasonable  use,  even  if  this  use  temporarily  entails  heavy  loss. 

The  second  principle  is  that  true  economy  shall  characterize  the 
expenditure  of  available  funds.  The  existing  roads  must  be  kept  in 
that  state  of  repair  which  will  enable  them  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  travel  and  transportation,  and,  in  addition,  a  gradual  change  to 
proper  locations,  and  the  substitution  of  permanent  structures  for 
makeshift  and  perishable  ones,  must  be  made. 

It  was  recommended,  therefore,  that  one-half  of  the  road  funds  of 
each  county  be  set  aside  as  a  “  Good  Roads  Fund,”  to  be  used  as  the 
necessities  of  the  county  might  dictate.  With  the  remaining  half  of 
the  road  funds,  it  is  entirely  possible  to  maintain  existing  roads  in  as 
good  condition  as  they  have  been  for  some  years  past.  Particularly 
is  this  possible,  if  wasteful  methods  and  political  favoritism  be  set 
aside,  and  system  and  economy  instituted.  Should  this  measure  re¬ 
duce  the  funds  below  the  requirements  of  special  local  interests,  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  has  it  in  its  power  to  levy  for  this  purpose  the 
special  tax  provided  in  Section  38,  Chapter  CCLXXVII  of  the  Statutes 
and  Amendments  of  1897.  The  setting  aside  of  a  portion  of  these 
funds  for  permanent  work  was  intended  as  a  means  of  bringing  about 
system  and  economy.  This,  however,  cannot  be  accomplished  by  law 
alone.  It  is  imperatively  necessary  that  there  should  be  integrity, 
technical  intelligence,  and  energy  on  the  part  of  the  officials  charged 
with  the  disbursement  of  road  funds. 

The  construction  and  maintenance  of  bridges  was  found  to  be  par¬ 
ticularly  costly  in  all  except  two  counties.  In  one  the  cost  had  been 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


341 


reduced  by  placing  the  entire  matter  of  bridge  building  in  the  hands 
of  the  County  Surveyor,  an  engineer  of  high  skill  and  integrity.  In 
the  other  it  was  realized  that  masonry  was  far  cheaper  than  steel,  iron 
and  wood.  The  results  of  these  two  examples  were  freely  used  by  the 
Highway  Commissioners,  and  the  lessons  were  not  wholly  lost. 


Latitude  of  Cape  Cod 


The  prime  reasons  why  bridge  building  and  maintenance  are  so 
costly  are :  First,  in  many  instances  the  bridges  are  expensive  because 
the  county  officials  do  not  know  the  actual  cost  of  materials  and  labor; 
and,  secondly,  a  lack  of  technical  knowledge  in  the  matter  permits 
the  use  of  the  wrong  materials. 


342  HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

Bridges,  which  should  be  masonry,  are  built  of  very  perishable 
timber,  the  constant  renewals  of  which  exhaust  the  road  funds. 

The  raising  of  about  $2  000  000  per  year  for  highway  purposes  is 
equivalent  to  a  tax  levy  of  20  cents  per  $100  on  $1  000  000  000.  This 
amounts  to  $80  000  000  in  forty  years,  which  sum,  intelligently  and 
honestly  expended,  would  give  California  a  magnificent  system  of 
highways;  but  it  requires  the  introduction  of  system,  skill,  and  in¬ 
tegrity  in  every  detail,  and,  if  the  present  system  be  continued,  the 
full  benefit  of  the  expenditure  of  this  vast  sum  will  fall  short  of  being 
realized. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature,  in  January,  1899,  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Highways  renewed  the  recommendations  previously  made, 
and  added  an  important  amendment,  looking  to  the  creation  of  a  good 
roads  fund  in  every  county,  but  leaving  its  control  under  county 
authorities.  This  control,  as  previously  outlined,  is  considered  a  very 
essential  part  of  the  political  patronage  of  members  of  the  several 
Boards  of  Supervisors,  and  they  generally  regard  any  attempt  to  put 
road  matters  on  better  lines  as  an  interference  with  their  prerogatives 
and  rights.  This  amendment  apportions  50%  of  all  road  moneys  for 
the  construction  of  permanent  work  in  a  specified  order.  Consider¬ 
ing  that  the  gross  annual  expenditures  by  counties  aggregate  about 
$2  000  000,  this  “good  roads  fund,”  in  a  few  decades  of  systematic 
work,  would  accomplish  much  good. 

These  laws  and  amendments  are  appended  herein  in  full.  They 
are  not  intended  to  be  radical  or  to  subvert  the  method  of  road  admin¬ 
istration,  but  are  designed  to  introduce  system  and  economy,  and  to 
correct  gradually  the  abuses  and  lack  of  business  methods  which  had 
grown  to  be  a  part  of  road  administration. 

An  Act  to  Classify  the  Roads  in  the  State  of  California,  and  to 
Define  each  Class. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  California,  represented  by  Senate  and 
Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  1. — The  roads  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  California 
shall  hereafter  be  classified  as  follows: 

The  first  class  to  include  all  highways  designated  as  State  Highways; 
the  second  to  include  all  highways  designated  as  County  Thorough¬ 
fares;  and  the  third  class  to  include  all  highways  designated  as  District 
Roads. 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITION'S  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


343 


Section  2. — The  following  roads,  when  definitely  located  by  the 
Department  of  Highways,  are  hereby  declared  to  belong  to  the  first 
class. 

1.  A  highway  commencing  on  the  State  line  between  the  State  of 
California  and  the  State  of  Oregon,  at  or  near  the  point  where  the  said 
State  line  is  intersected  by  the  road  from  Yreka,  California,  to  Ash¬ 
land,  Oregon,  and  extending  thence  southerly,  along  the  best  grades 
and  alignments,  through  the  Counties  of  Siskiyou,  Shasta,  Tehama, 
Butte,  Yuba,  Sutter,  Sacramento,  San  Joaquin,  Stanislaus,  Merced, 
Madera,  Fresno,  Tulare,  Los  Angeles,  Orange  and  San  Diego  to  Tia 
Juana,  in  the  last-named  county. 

2.  A  highway  commencing  at  Crescent  City,  in  Del  Norte  County, 
and  extending  south  and  southeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  align¬ 
ments,  through  the  Counties  of  Del  Norte,  Humboldt,  Mendocino, 
Sonomo,  and  Marin,  to  the  City  of  Sausalito. 

3:  A  highway  commencing  in  the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco 
and  extending  thence  southeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  align¬ 
ments,  through  the  Counties  of  San  Mateo,  Santa  Clara,  San  Benito, 
Monterey,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Santa  Barbara,  Ventura  and  Los  Angeles 
to  the  City  of  Los  Angeles. 

4.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  upon  the  State  Highway 
through  Tehama  County,  at  or  near  the  station  of  Tehama,  and  extend¬ 
ing  thence  southerly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Tehama,  Glenn,  Colusa,  Yolo  and  Solano,  to  the  City  of 
Vallejo. 

5.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Martinez,  and  extending 
thence  southerly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Contra  Costa,  Alameda,  San  Joaquin,  Stanislaus,  Merced, 
Fresno,  Kings  and  Kern  to  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  at  or  near 
the  City  of  Bakersfield. 

6.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  upon  the  State  Highway 
through  Siskiyou  County,  near  the  westerly  base  of  Mount  Shasta, 
and  extending  thence  southerly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments, 
through  the  Counties  of  Siskiyou,  Shasta,  Lassen,  Plumas,  Sierra, 
Nevada,  Placer,  Eldorado,  Alpine,  Mono,  Inyo,  and  Kern  to  Indian 
Wells,  in  the  last-named  county. 

7.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Areata,  in  Humboldt 
County,  and  extending  thence  southeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and 
alignments,  through  the  Counties  of  Humboldt,  Trinity  and  Tehama, 
to  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  through  Tehama  County,  at  or  near 
the  City  of  Bed  Bluff. 

8.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  through 
Shasta  County,  north  of  the  City  of  Redding,  and  extending  thence 
northeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the  Coun¬ 
ties  of  Shasta,  Lassen  and  Modoc,  to  Fort  Bidwell,  in  the  last-named 
county. 


344  HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

9.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Marysville,  and  extend¬ 
ing  thence  northerly  and  northeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  align¬ 
ments,  through  the  Counties  of  Yuba,  Butte,  Plumas  and  Lassen,  to 
Susanville,  in  the  last-named  county. 

10.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Ukiah,  and  extending 
thence  southerly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Mendocino,  Lake  and  Yolo,  to  the  City  of  Sacramento, 
thence  easterly,  through  the  Counties  of  Sacramento  and  Eldorado, 
to  a  point  on  the  State  line  between  the  State  of  California  and  the 
State  of  Nevada,  at  or  near  its  intersection  by  the  Lake  Tahoe  Wagon 
Koad. 

11.  A  highway  commencing  at  or  near  the  City  of  Santa  Rosa,  and 
extending  thence  southeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments, 
through  the  Counties  of  Sonomo,  Napa  and  Solano,  to  Suisun  City,  in 
the  last-named  county. 

12.  A.  highway  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  running 
north  from  Sacramento,  and  extending  thence  northeasterly,  on  the 
best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the  Counties  of  Sacramento, 
Placer,  Nevada  and  Sierra,  to  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  through 
Sierra  County,  near  Sierraville,  in  the  last-named  county. 

13.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Oakland,  and  extending 
thence  easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the  Coun¬ 
ties  of  Alameda  and  San  Joaquin,  to  a  point  on  the  State  Highway 
through  San  Joaquin  County,  south  of  the  City  of  Stockton. 

14.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Oakland,  and  running 
thence  northerly  and  easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments, 
through  the  Counties  of  Alameda  and  Contra  Costa,  to  the  City  of 
Martinez. 

15.  A  highway  commencing  at  lone,  Amador  County,  and  extend¬ 
ing  thence  easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  Ama¬ 
dor,  Calaveras,  Tuolumne  and  Mariposa  Counties,  to  the  county  seat 
of  the  last-named  county. 

16.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  State  Highway 
through  Santa  Clara  County,  at  or  near  the  City  of  Gilroy,  and  extend¬ 
ing  thence  northeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through 
the  Counties  of  Santa  Clara,  San  Benito,  Merced,  Mariposa,  Tuo¬ 
lumne  and  Mono,  to  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  through  the  last- 
named  county,  near  Mono  Lake. 

17.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  State  Highway 
through  Santa  Clara  County,  at  or  near  the  City  of  Gilroy,  and  extend¬ 
ing  thence  northeasterly  and  easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  align¬ 
ments,  through  the  Counties  of  Santa  Clara,  San  Benito  and  Fresno, 
to  the  City  of  Fresno. 

18.  A.  highway  commening  at  the  City  of  Modesto  and  extending 
thence  northeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Stanislaus  and  Tuolumne,  to  the  City  of  Sonora. 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITION'S  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


345 


19.  A.  highway  commencing  at  or  near  the  City  of  Hollister,  and 
extending  thence  southeasterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments, 
through  the  Counties  of  San  Benito  and  Fresno  to  a  point  on  the  west¬ 
erly  State  Highway  through  the  last-named  county,  near  Huron. 

20.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  State  Highway 
through  San  Luis  Obispo  County,  at  or  near  San  Miguel,  and  extend¬ 
ing  thence  easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  San  Luis  Obispo  and  Kern,  to  a  point  on  the  westerly  State 
Highway  in  the  last-named  county. 

21.  A  highway  commencing  at  Port  Hartford,  in  San  Luis  Obispo 
County,  and  extending  thence  southeasterly  and  northeasterly,  on 
the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the  Counties  of  San  Luis 
Obispo,  Santa  Barbara  and  Kern  to  Indian  Wells,  in  the  last-named 
county. 

22.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Los  Angeles  and  extend¬ 
ing  thence  easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Los  Angeles  and  San  Bernardino,  to  the  City  of  Bernar¬ 
dino;  thence  southwesterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through 
the  Counties  of  San  Bernardino,  Riverside  and  Orange,  to  the  City  of 
Santa  Ana,  in  Orange  County. 

23.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  through 
Shasta  County,  north  of  the  City  of  Redding,  and  extending  thence 
northwesterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Shasta  and  Trinity,  to  Weaverville,  in  the  last-named 
county. 

24.  A  highway  commencing  at  Colusa,  and  extending  thence  west¬ 
erly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the  County  of  Colusa, 
to  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  through  said  county. 

25.  A  highway  commencing  at  Markleeville,  and  extending  thence 
easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  to  a  point  on  the  State 
Highway  through  Alpine  County. 

26.  A  highway  commencing  at  Mariposa,  and  extending  thence 
northwesterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  to  a  point  on  the 
State  Highway  through  Mariposa  County. 

27.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Visalia  and  extending 
thence  westerly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Tulare  and  Kings,  to  the  City  of  Hanford,  in  Kings 
County. 

28.  A  highway  commencing  at  a  point  on  the  State  Highway 
through  Alameda  County,  at  or  near  Niles,  and  extending  thence  south¬ 
erly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  Alameda  and  Santa 
Cruz  Counties  to  the  City  of  San  Jose;  thence  southwesterly,  on  the 
best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the  Counties  of  Santa  Cruz  and 
Santa  Clara,  to  a  point  on  the  highway  through  Santa  Cruz,  near 
Watsonville. 


346  HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

29.  A  highway  commencing  at  the  City  of  Sonoro,  and  extending 
thence  easterly,  on  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  through  the 
Counties  of  Tuolumne  and  Mono,  to  a  point  on  the  State  Highway  in 
the  last-named  county. 

Section  3. — The  roads  of  the  second  class,  or  County  Thorough¬ 
fares,  shall  be  the  most  important  roads  in  each  county,  as  set  apart 
and  so  declared  by  the  Boards  of  Supervisors  of  the  several  counties, 
in  discharging  which  duty  they  may  call  upon  the  Department  of 
Highways,  in  writing,  for  such  advice  and  counsel  as  said  Board  of 
Supervisors  may  desire. 

Section  4.  — The  roads  of  the  third  class,  or  District  Roads,  shall 
embrace  all  existing  county  roads  now  recognized  and  set  apart  by  law, 
and  not  enumerated  in  Sections  2  and  3  of  this  Act  as  State  Highways 
or  County  Thoroughfares,  together  with  such  additional  roads  as  may 
be  laid  out,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  State  of  California,  by 
the  Boards  of  Supervisors  of  the  several  counties. 

Section  5. — All  Acts  or  parts  of  Acts  in  conflict  with  the  provisions 
of  this  Act  are  hereby  repealed. 

Section  6. — This  Act  shall  take  effect  from  and  after  its  passage. 


The  total  mileage  of  roads  in  the  State  is  about  45  000.  This 
classification  would  put  about  10%,  or  4  500  miles,  in  the  first  class, 
and  this  mileage  would  ultimately  come  under  the  control  of  the  State, 
and  includes  all  the  roads  in  which  the  State  may  be  considered  to  have 
a  direct  interest.  The  remaining  mileage  would  continue  under 
county  supervision  and  control. 


Article  III,  Section  2643,  Par.  7,  Political  Code,  to  be  amended  as 

follows  : 

Cause  the  road  tax  collected  each  year  to  be  apportioned  and  kept 
in  separate  funds  by  the  County  Treasurer,  as  follows: 

Fifty  per  cent,  of  all  moneys  so  collected  shall  be  apportioned  as 
now  provided  by  law. 

The  remaining  50%  of  taxes  so  collected  shall  be  apportioned  to  a 
fund  to  be  known  and  designated  as  the  “Good  Roads  Fund.”  All 
money  so  apportioned  to  the  “Good Roads  Fund”  must  be  expended 
by  the  Boards  of  Supervisors  of  the  various  counties,  in  the  following 
manner,  and  for  the  purposes  hereinafter  named,  and  in  no  other  way, 
and  for  no  other  purpose,  to  wit : 

For  laying  out,  grading,  sprinkling,  graveling  or  macadamizing  the 
principal  highways  of  the  county,  and  the  purchase  of  all  road 
machinery  necessary  for  the  construction  of  said  highways  and  main- 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  347 


tenance  of  same,  and  the  purchase  of  water  rights,  and  all  necessary 
property  to  insure  a  perfect  sprinkling  system;  for  the  construction 
of  all  substructures  necessary  to  a  perfect  drainage  of  a  highway  or 
road,  all  of  which  substructures  shall  consist  of  masonry,  concrete, 
salt-glazed  sewer  pipe,  iron  or  steel;  no  lumber  or  perishable  material 
shall  be  used,  except  for  bridge  flooring,  when  deemed  absolutely 
necessary. 

For  better  guidance  of  road  construction  and  the  expenditure  of 
moneys  in  the  “  Good  Roads  Fund,”  the  following  shall  be  the  order 
of  constructing  said  highways,  and  the  Boards  of  Supervisors  shall 
observe  this  order,  so  far  as  possible  to  do : 

First. — The  laying  out  of  a  highway  on  the  best  grades  and  align¬ 
ments  possible. 

Second. — The  grading  and  draining  of  said  highways. 

Third. — The  construction  of  permanent  substructures. 

Fourth. — The  establishment  of  a  sprinkling  plant  for  said 
highways. 

Fifth. — The  graveling  or  macadamizing  of  all  such  highways. 

To  perform  any  work  or  construct  any  substructures  under  this 
section,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  to  make  definite  surveys  of  the 
proposed  work,  and  to  prepare  plans,  profiles  and  cross-sections 
thereof,  and  to  submit  the  same,  with  estimate  of  the  amount,  or 
amounts,  of  work  to  be  done,  and  the  probable  cost  thereof,  and  with 
specifications  therefor,  duly  approved  by  the  Department  of  Highways 
of  the  State  of  California.  The  said  report  shall  be  prepared  in  trip¬ 
licate,  one  copy  to  be  filed  in  the  Surveyor’s  office,  one  in  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Highways  of  said  State,  and  the  other  to  be  filed  with  the 
Clerk  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  The  Board,  upon  receipt  of  such 
report,  must  advertise  for  bids  for  the  performance  of  the  work  speci¬ 
fied,  as  provided  in  this  section.  All  bidders  must  be  offered  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  examine  such  plans  and  specifications,  and  said  Board  shall 
award  the  contract  to  the  lowest  responsible  bidder,  and  a  copy  of  the 
plans  and  specifications  so  adopted  shall  be  attached  to  and  become  a 
part  of  the  contract;  and  the  person  or  corporation  to  whom  the 
contract  is  awarded  shall  be  required  to  execute  a  bond,  to  be  approved 
by  said  Board,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  such  contract;  provided , 
that  after  the  submission  of  the  bids  as  herein  provided,  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  being  advised  by  the  County  Surveyor  that  the  work  can 
be  done  for  a  sum  less  than  the  lowest  responsible  bid,  it  shall  then 
be  the  privilege  to  reject  all  bids,  and  to  order  the  work  done,  or 
structure  built,  by  day’s  work  under  the  supervision  and  control  of 
said  Surveyor;  provided,  further,  that  the  Surveyor  in  such  case  shall 
be  held  personally  responsible,  under  his  official  bond,  to  construct 
the  work  and  furnish  material,  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  the  amount  of 
the  lowest  responsible  bid  received. 


348 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


The  furnishing  of  all  material  or  machinery  for  the  purpose  of  this 
Aqt  shall  he  done  by  contract  and  advertisement  for  bids  in  the  same 
manner  as  far  as  possible  as  designated  herein  for  road  work. 

The  Boards  of  Supervisors  shall  decide  all  questions  pertaining  to 
this  Act  by  a  majority  vote  of  all  members  of  the  Board. 

The  County  Surveyor  and  Department  of  Highways  of  the  State 
shall  have  power  to  inspect  any  work  or  advise  as  to  the  efficiency  or 
quality  of  all  materials  so  purchased  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for 
the  purposes  of  this  Act,  and,  upon  the  written  request  by  the 
Surveyor  and  Department  of  Highways,  any  failures  to  comply  with 
the  contract  or  contracts,  or  any  defects  in  the  character  of  material 
furnished,  shall  be  remedied  by  the  contractor,  and,  in  default 
thereof,  the  Board  shall  have  power  to  deduct  the  value  of  such 
failure  or  defect  from  the  contract  price  agreed  to  be  paid  the  con¬ 
tractor. 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  must  employ  the  County  Surveyor  to 
superintend  the  work  contemplated  by  this  Act,  and,  provided  said 
Surveyor  is  not  a  salaried  officer,  must  allow  him  fair  compensation 
for  such  service. 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  shall  have  power  to  make  partial  pay¬ 
ments  upon  all  contracts  let  by  virtue  of  this  Act,  not  to  exceed  75% 
of  the  work  done,  when  the  same  shall  be  certified  by  the  County 
Surveyor  as  properly  performed. 

No  contract  shall  be  let  in  conformity  to  this  Act  exceeding  the 
amount  of  money  in  the  “Good  Roads  Fund”  of  any  county,  or  the 
estimated  amount  to  be  paid  into  said  fund  during  the  fiscal  year  in 
which  said  contract  is  entered  into. 


Section  2651,  Political  Code,  Amended  to  read  as  follows: 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  must  annually  set  apart,  from  the  prop¬ 
erty  road  tax  collected  from  all  sources,  50%,  to  be  set  aside  as 
provided  in  Article  III,  Section  2643,  Par.  7,  Political  Code;  35%  of 
the  remainder  of  said  road  tax  may  be  set  aside  for  general  county 
road  purposes ;  from  which  sum  so  set  apart  they  may  direct  such 
amounts  to  be  paid  as  may  be  found  necessary  for  such  general  county 
road  purposes  in  which  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  districts  within  the 
county  are  more  or  less  interested,  or  to  assist  weak  or  impoverished 
districts  in  keeping  their  roads  in  repair,  to  be  applied  as  the  said 
Board  may  order  or  direct;  provided,  that  the  Boards  of  Supervisors 
in  the  several  counties  shall  have  no  power  to  create  a  debt  on  any 
road  district  in  excess  of  the  estimated  amount  of  receipts  from  said 
district  for  the  current  fiscal  year. 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


349 


An  Act  to  Provide  for  the  Acceptance  of  Highways  of  the  First 
Class  by  the  State,  and  the  Maintenance  of  the  Same,  and  to 
Make  an  Appropriation  therefor. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  California,  Kepresented  in  the  Senate 
and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  1. — Whenever  five  or  more  consecutive  miles  of  highways 
of  the  first  class,  as  defined  in  an  Act  entitled  “An  Act  to  classify 
the  roads  in  the  State  of  California,  and  to  define  each  class,”  shall 
have  been  located  and  constructed  within  the  limits  of  any  county,  in 
conformity  with  plans  and  specifications  approved  by  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Highways,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  such  county  may 
petition  the  Department  of  Highways  to  accept  said  portion  of  road 
and  to  maintain  the  same. 

Sectio7i  2. — Said  Department  shall  thereupon  examine  said  road 
and  certify  to  the  Governor  of  the  State  whether  or  not  such  location 
and  construction  have  been  in  conformity  with  the  plans  and  speci¬ 
fications  therefor,  and  if  in  its  opinion  said  roads  should  be  accepted. 
Should  such  opinion  be  favorable,  and  meet  with  the  approval  of  the 
Governor,  such  road  must  then  be  accepted  by  the  Department  in  the 
name  of  the  State,  and  shall  thereafter  be  maintained  by  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Highways  as  provided  by  the  law. 

Section  3. — An  appropriation  of  $100  000,  or  so  much  thereof  as 
may  be  necessary,  is  hereby  made  for  the  purposes  of  carrying  out 
the  provisions  of  this  Act  during  the  fiscal  years  of  1899-1900  and 
1900-1901;  said  fund  to  be  designated  as  the  “  State  Highway  Main¬ 
tenance  Fund.” 

Section  4. — On  or  about  September  1st,  1900,  and  biennially  there¬ 
after,  the  Department  of  Highways  must  certify  to  the  State  Con¬ 
troller  the  amount  necessary  to  maintain  said  highways  of  the  first 
class  for  the  following  two  fiscal  years.  The  Controller  shall  include 
this  amount  in  his  estimate  of  expenditures,  and  which,  when  paid 
into  the  State  Treasury,  must  be  credited  to  said  fund. 

Section  5. — The  Department  of  Highways  is  hereby  authorized  to 
advertise  for  bids,  in  two  newspapers  in  the  county  in  which  the  road 
is  situated,  for  contracts  to  sprinkle,  roll  and  maintain  such  State 
Highways  as  may  be  accepted  under  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  and 
for  the  necessary  appliances  and  machinery  for  said  work.  Said 
Department  shall  have  the  power  to  reject  any  and  all  bids,  and  order 
the  work  done  by  day’s  labor  for  an  amount  less  than  the  lowest 
responsible  bidder,  and  the  Commissioner  is  responsible  on  his  bond 
that  the  work  shall  be  done  according  to  the  plans  and  specifications. 
Said  bids  to  be  filed  with  the  County  Clerk  of  the  county  in  which 
said  highway  is  situated,  and  to  be  opened  by  the  Commissioner  of 
the  Department  of  Highways  at  the  office  of  said  clerk  on  a  day 
specified  in  said  advertisement  for  bids. 


350 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


Section  6. — The  money  paid  into  the  State  Highway  Maintenance 
Fund  is  hereby  appropriated,  without  reference  to  fiscal  years,  for 
the  exclusive  purpose  of  maintaining  State  Highways.  All  claims 
against  the  State  Highway  Maintenance  Fund  must  be  made  by 
warrants  drawn  against  said  fund  by  the  State  Controller,  in  the 
name  of  the  person  or  persons  rendering  the  services  or  furnishing 
material  provided  for  by  this  Act,  and  must  be  audited  and  approved 
by  the  Commissioner  of  the  Department  of  Highways  and  by  the 
State  Board  of  Examiners.  The  State  Controller  is  hereby  directed 
and  authorized  to  draw  said  warrants,  when  so  audited  and  approved, 
and  the  State  Treasurer  is  authorized  to  pay  said  warrants,  to  the 
extent  of  moneys  available  therefor. 

Section  7. — This  Act  shall  take  effect  upon  and  after  its  passage. 


An  Act  to  Provide  for  the  Location,  Construction,  and  Mainte¬ 
nance  of  Highways,  Owned  or  to  be  Acquired  by  the  State  of 
Cadifornia,  by  the  Levy  of  a  Tax,  and  the  Creation  of  a  Fund 

THEREFOR. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  California,  Represented  in  Senate  and 
Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  1. — There  is  hereby  levied  annually,  for  each  fiscal  year,  an 
ad  valorem  tax  of  2^  cents  upon  each  $100  of  value  of  the  taxable  prop¬ 
erty  of  the  State,  which  tax  should  be  collected  by  the  several  officers 
charged  with  the  collection  of  State  Taxes,  in  the  same  manner  and  at 
the  same  time  as  other  State  taxes  are  collected,  upon  all  classes  or 
any  class  of  property,  which  tax  is  for  the  location,  construction,  and 
maintenance  of  highways  owned  or  to  be  acquired  by  the  State  of 
California. 

Section  2. — The  State  Board  of  Equalization,  at  the  time  when  it 
annually  determines  the  rate  of  State  taxes  to  be  collected,  must,  at 
the  same  time,  declare  the  levy  of  said  rate  of  2|  cents  upon  each  $100 
of  value  of  taxable  property,  and  notify  the  Auditor  and  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  each  county  thereof. 

Section  3. — The  moneys  collected  from  said  rate,  after  deducting 
the  proportionate  share  of  expense  of  collecting  from  the  same,  to 
which  other  State  taxes  are  subject,  must  be  paid  into  the  State  Treas¬ 
ury,  and  be  by  the  Treasurer  converted  into  a  separate  fund,  hereby 
created,  to  be  called  “The  State  Highway  Fund.” 

Section  4. — The  money  paid  into  said  “State  Highway  Fund”  is 
hereby  appropriated,  without  reference  to  fiscal  years,  for  the  exclu¬ 
sive  purposes  of  locating,  constructing,  and  maintaining  the  State 
Highways,  and  in  no  case  shall  any  portion  thereof  be  used  for  the 
acquisition  of  title  to  or  rights  of  way  over  land  or  lands"  through  or 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA.  351 


upon  which  said  State  Highways  may  be  located.  All  claims  against 
said  “State  Highway  Fund”  must  be  audited  by  the  Department  of 
Highways,  and  approved  by  the  State  Board  of  Examiners,  and  pay¬ 
ments  shall  be  made  out  of  said  fund  only  upon  warrants  drawn 
against  the  said  “State  Highway  Fund”  by  the  State  Controller,  in 
the  name  of  the  person  or  persons  rendering  the  services  or  furnish¬ 
ing  material  provided  for  in  this  Act;  and  the  State  Treasurer  is  hereby 
directed  and  authorized  to  pay  said  warrants. 

Section  5. — No  more  than  8 %  of  the  money  derived  from  said 
“  State  Highway  Fund”  shall  be  expended  in  any  one  county  of  the 
State  in  any  one  fiscal  year. 

Section  6. — All  Acts  or  parts  of  Acts  in  conflict  with  the  provisions 
of  this  Act  are  hereby  repealed. 

Section  7. — This  Act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and  after 
its  passage. 


Chapter  CXYII,  Statutes  and  Amendments,  1897,  to  be  Amended  as 

Follows  : 

Section  1. — The  width  of  tires  for  wheels  upon  wagons  or  other 
vehicles  to  be  used  upon  highways  in  the  State  of  California  shall  be, 
for  the  following  styles  of  wagons,  as  follows : 

1£  and  §-in.  steel  or  iron  axle;  2f  and  3-in.  steel  or  |  Not  less  than 
iron  thimble  skein  axle;  2|  and  2f-in.  tubular  axle,  j  2£-in.  tires. 

If  and  lf-in.  steel  and  iron  axle;  3f-in.  steel  or  iron  )  Not  less  than 
thimble  skein  axle;  2§-in.  tubular  axle.  j  3-in.  tires. 

All  other  vehicles  with  an  axle  greater  in  size  or  capacity  than 
those  above  enumerated  shall  have  tires  of  not  less  than  4  ins.  in 
width. 

Section  3  to  be  repealed. 

Section  4  to  be  numbered  3. 

Section  5  to  be  numbered  4. 


Sections  8  and  9  of  Chapter  CCLXXII  to  be  Amended  to  Bead  as 

Follows  : 

Section  8.  —  The  Department  of  Highways  shall  take  possession,  in 
the  name  of  the  State,  and  as  rapidly  as  the  funds  provided  therefor 
will  permit,  of  all  roads  which  have  been  or  may  be  declared  State 
Highways,  and,  in  cases  where  the  Legislature  may  define  the  general 
direction  and  route  of  a  State  Highway,  the  Department  shall  defi¬ 
nitely  locate  the  same*  upon  the  best  grades  and  alignments,  and  as 
closely  following  the  general  lines  defined  by  the  Legislature,  as  the 
topography  of  the  country  will  permit,  and  in  consonance  with  the 


352 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


best  interests  of  the  State;  and  whenever  the  location  of  an  existing 
county  road,  or  any  portion  thereof,  is  such  that  it  may  be  properly 
defined  as  a  State  Highway,  or  a  portion  thereof,  then  the  location  of 
such  county  road  shall  be  utilized  for  said  State  Highway;  provided, 
that  all  highways  included  within  the  boundaries  of  the  lands  of  the 
State  institutions,  parks  or  reservations,  now  governed  by  bodies  spe¬ 
cified  by  law,  are  hereby  expressly  excepted  from  the  jurisdiction  of 
said  Department. 

Section  9. — The  Department  of  Highways  shall  have  power  to  locate, 
construct,  and  maintain  State  Highways  to  the  extent  of  the  funds 
available;  and  to  this  end  advertise  for  and  let  all  contracts;  purchase, 
equip,  and  operate  the  necessary  quarries;  and  acquire  such  other 
property  necessary  for  the  construction  and  maintenance  of  the  roads 
provided  for.  Whenever  it  shall  become  necessary  to  construct  any 
part  of  the  System  of  State  Highways,  as  herein  provided  for,  the  cost 
of  which  exceeds  $500,  the  Department  of  Highways  must  have  plans, 
specifications,  and  estimates  therefor  in  triplicate,  and  must  advertise 
for  bids  for  a  period  of  two  weeks,  in  two  papers  of  general  circula¬ 
tion,  and  which  shall  give  the  lowest  rate  for  publication,  published, 
one  at  the  point  nearest  to  where  the  work  is  to  be  performed,  and  one 
at  the  State  Capitol.  Said  advertisement  shall  be  in  the  following 
form: 

Department  of  Highways,  Sacramento,  Cal.,  . . . .,  18. .. 

Sealed  bids  will  be  received  by  the  Department  of  Highways  of  the 
State  of  California,  at  its  office  in  the  State  Capitol,  Sacramento, 
until . o’clock, . M.,  18..,  for - in . county,  California. 

Plans  and  specifications  for  said  work  are  on  file  in  the  office  of  said 

Department  and  in  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk  of . County,  at 

. ,  Cal. ,  to  which  bidders  are  hereby  referred. 

[seal.  ] 


Highway  Commissioner. 


These  recommendations  were  not  fully  considered  by  the  Legisla¬ 
ture  of  1899.  This  was  a  year  in  which  a  senator  was  to  be  elected, 
which  duty  so  engrossed  the  time  of  the  Legislature  that  but  little 
else  was  thought  of. 

Time  was  found,  however,  to  re-enact  the  law  providing  for  the 
construction  of  an  important  link  of  road  between  the  easterly  end  of 
the  roads  leading  easterly  from  the  Yosemite  Yalley  and  those  of  Mono 
County  on  the  other  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 


HISTORY  OF  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


353 


The  influence  of  so-called  political  considerations  gave  an  instruct¬ 
ive  instance  in  the  drafting  of  this  Act.  The  roads  to  be  connected 
are  the  Tioga  Road  and  those  of  Mono  County,  in  the  basin  of  Lake 
Mono.  The  Tioga  Road  has  been  constructed  across  the  Sierras  at  an 
elevation  of  about  9  500  ft.,  and  into  the  basin  of  Mono  Lake,  at  the 
Tioga  Mine.  From  thence  three  possible  routes  exist : 

First. — Down  the  canon  of  Leevining  Creek; 

Second. — Northeasterly  again  over  the  crest  of  the  Sierras  at  an 
elevation  of  over  10  200  ft.,  and  down  the  canon  of  Mill  Creek  past  a 
mining  settlement  at  which  there  are  at  present  concentrated  some 
forty  votes; 

Third. — To  the  southeasterly,  also  over  the  crest  of  the  Sierras, 
through  Mono  Pass,  at  an  elevation  of  over  10  200  ft. ,  and  down  Bloody 
Canon. 

All  considerations,  economy,  shortness  of  route,  lighter  grades, 
freedom  from  snow,  stability  of  roadbed,  suitability  of  materials,  and 
the  best  interests  of  the  state,  are  in  favor  of  the  first — the  Leevining 
Creek  route. 

These  facts  were  fully  brought  out;  yet  the  legislator  who  drafted 
and  introduced  the  bill  could  not  be  induced  to  draw  it  so  as  to  apply 
to  the  best  route,  but  yielded  to  the  importunities  of  the  voters  on  the 
Mill  Creek  route,  and  drew  the  bill  so  that  the  diversion  of  the  fund 
to  that  route  could  be  possible.  At  this  date,  it  is  yet  possible  that 
the  best  of  the  routes  may,  through  these  influences,  be  abandoned  for 
the  worst.* 

The  attempt  to  introduce  method  in  road  building,  however,  has 
not  been  without  result;  a  much  better  understanding  is  had  through¬ 
out  the  state,  and  many  practices  have  been  corrected.  It  must  be 
admitted,  however,  that  political  road  building  so  far  has  had  the  best 
of  the  struggle. 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  the  U.  S.  Commission  on  Roads  in  the  Yosemite 
National  Park  has  confirmed  the  selection  of  the  Leevining  Creek  route.  Pp.  11-14  of 
Report. 


354 


DISCUSSION  ON  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


DISCUSSION. 


.  Owen.  James  Owen,  M.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E. — This  paper  is  hardly  in  the  line 
of  a  professional  topic.  It  recites  the  history  and  conditions  of  road 
promotion  and  road  legislation  in  the  State  of  California,  and  is  very 
interesting,  as  it  gives  the  experience  through  which  the  State  of 
Calif  ornia  has  gone,  which  is,  to  a  large  extent,  similar  to  that  of  other 
States  in  the  Union,  except  that  in  California  work  is  not  as  far 
advanced  as  in  the  Eastern  States. 

One  of  the  burdens  of  Mr.  Manson’s  subject  is  the  cry  that  many 
engineers  make,  viz.,  the  interjection  of  the  political  element  into 
road  work. 

Attention  should  be  called  particularly  to  the  clause  on  page  347, 
because  the  speaker  has  never  before  seen  it  in  the  shape  of  a  legal 
enactment.  If  it  were  in  active  practice  in  this  section  of  the  United 
States  it  would  devolve  upon  the  engineer  to  determine  whether  a  bid 
was  too  high,  and  if  it  should  turn  out  that  the  work  cost  more  than 
he  estimated,  he  would  have  to  pay  the  difference  out  of  his  own 
pocket.  It  is  a  question  whether  the  engineering  profession  at  large 
would  like  to  have  such  a  practice  incorporated  in  their  ethics. 

There  is  one  point  about  the  California  work  that  does  not  seem 
to  be  stated  by  Mr.  Manson,  and  that  is,  that  the  State  Penitentiary, 
in  the  early  incipiency  of  the  road  work  of  that  state,  put  up  a  large 
stone-cracking  plant,  and  at  that  time  a  very  advantageous  rate  was 
made  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  to  haul  the  road  material  to 
different  sections  of  the  state.  The  state  engineer  at  that  time  told 
the  speaker  that  they  were  hauling  road  material  at  a  very  moderate 
cost  for  a  distance  of  over  600  miles.  The  speaker  does  not  know 
whether  or  not  that  practice  is  kept  up  now,  but  it  was  a  very 
important  procedure.  The  railroads  there  felt  that  highway  con¬ 
struction  was  an  adjunct  to  their  business,  and  offered  these  induce¬ 
ments  to  facilitate  the  further  development  of  road  work.  The 
railroads  in  the  East,  so  far,  have  not  taken  that  view  of  the  road 
work,  but  have  always  demanded  full  rates  for  their  mileage,  in 
common  with  other  fields  of  enterprise. 

There  is  another  interesting  phase  of  Californian  legislation  which 
differs  materially  from  the  practice  in  the  East,  and  it  has  a  great 
deal  of  merit  :  The  law  provides  that  a  sum  of  one-half  the  road  tax 
shall  be  reserved  for  what  is  called  a  “good-roads  fund,”  out  of 
which  the  cost  of  the  road  construction  is  paid.  After  the  road  ia 
built  it  is  turned  over  to  the  state  for  maintenance,  and  the  state, 
under  the  statute,  must  provide  and  appropriate  $100  000,  or  so 
much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out 
the  provisions  of  that  act.  The  practice  in  the  East  is  entirely 
different.  Where  the  states  have  interjected  their  authority  and  funda 


DISCUSSION  ON  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


355 


for  the  construction  of  a  road,  the  provision  afterward  is  that  the  Mr.  Owen, 
local  authorities  shall  pay  for  the  maintenance — that  is,  as  far  as  tho 
speaker  knows — he  does  not  remember  exactly  the  practice  now  in 
Massachusetts — whether  or  not  the  State  Road  Commission  there  pro¬ 
vides  a  fund  for  the  maintenance— but  in  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and 
the  States  with  which  he  is  cognizant,  the  local  authorities  have 
complete  charge  of  the  expenditure  for  maintenance. 

The  speaker  is  inclined  to  think  that  that  Californian  provision  is  an 
improvement.  The  more  concentrated  the  authority  of  maintenance 
the  better  will  be  the  result.  The  difficulty  always  found  inroad  con¬ 
struction  or  road  maintenance  is,  that  while  people  are  very  anxious 
to  have  good  roads,  and  appreciate  them,  the  local  authorities  are  not 
anxious  to  appropriate  the  necessary  moneys  to  keep  them  in  good 
repair. 

George  W.  Tellson,  M.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E. — In  Toronto,  Canada,  the  Mr.  Tiiison. 
practice  in  receiving  bids  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  mentioned  in  the 
last  clause  of  the  California  law.  When  bids  are  asked  for  in  Toronto, 
or  rather  when  they  are  received,  the  practice  is  for  the  city  engi¬ 
neer  himself  to  put  in  a  bid  on  the  work.  If  that  bid  is  lower  than 
any  of  the  others  received,  the  work  is  awarded  to  him  and  he  completes 
it  by  day’s  labor.  The  object,  of  course,  is  not  to  give  the  city 
engineer  the  opportunity  to  pay  for  anything  out  of  his  own  pocket, 
but  is  to  prevent  the  bidders  from  making  a  combination  and  getting 
more  than  a  reasonable  price  for  the  work,  because  it  ought  not  to  be 
difficult  for  the  contractors  to  do  work  at  a  fair  profit,  but  for  less 
than  city  officials,  in  this  country,  at  least,  could  do  it  by  day’s  labor. 

In  looking  over  the  report  of  the  city  engineer,  where  he  has 
reported  upon  work  for  which  he  putin  his  proposal  and  was  awarded 
the  work,  it  is  found  that,  as  a  general  rule,  he  has  often  done  the 
work  for  less  than  the  amount  of  his  bid,  but  in  some  few  cases  the 
cost  of  the  work  has  exceeded  his  bid. 

In  regard  to  the  Massachusetts  law,  the  President  of  the  Commis¬ 
sion  told  the  speaker,  a  short  time  ago,  that  at  the  present  time  they 
have  charge  of  the  maintenance  of  the  roads,  although  at  first  they 
did  not;  and  that  the  cost  last  year  averaged  $95  per  mile  for  main¬ 
tenance,  over  all  the  roads,  although  some  of  the  roads,  on  which  the 
work  was  done  by  contract,  were  kept  in  good  repair  for  $70  per  mile. 

Marsden  Manson,  M.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E.  (by  letter). — In  the  applica-  Mr.  Manson. 
tion  of  the  principles  of  engineering  to  the  varied  problems  before 
that  profession,  the  physical,  economic,  legal  and  political  phases 
have  to  be  broadly  construed  and  balanced.  When  the  work  or  problem 
has  long  been  treated  without  any  professional  consideration  what¬ 
ever,  the  history  of  this  treatment  and  its  results  must  enter  into  the 
engineering  study.  The  writer  does  not  agree,  therefore,  with  Mr. 

Owen,  that  a  brief  consideration  of  road  history  and  legislation  are 


356  DISCUSSION  ON  ROAD  CONDITIONS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


.  Manson.  not  professional  topics;  they  are  all  elements  in  the  great  problem  of 
rectification  which,  sooner  or  later,  has  to  be  undertaken. 

The  principles  of  engineering  must  not  only  be  applied  to  re-loca¬ 
tion,  drainage,  grading  and  installing  a  true  highway,  but,  for  consid¬ 
erable  periods,  must  be  also  applied  to  the  maintenance  of  the  next  to 
impassable  surfaces  called  roads. 

The  writer  overlooked  the  excellent  work  done  by  the  rock-crush¬ 
ing  plant  at  the  State  Penitentiary  at  Folsom.  Mr.  Owen,  however, 
was  misinformed  as  to  the  distances  over  which  its  product  was  dis¬ 
tributed.  Small  quantities  were  sold  to  adjacent  counties  at  cost,  and 
transported  at  very  cheap  rates  to  perhaps  one-fourth  the  distance 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Owen,  or  about  150  miles  as  a  maximum.  The 
greater  part  was  taken  by  the  cities  of  Stockton  and  Sacramento.  The 
plant  was  destroyed  by  fire,  supposed  to  have  been  incendiary,  but 
has  been  re-established  on  a  diminished  scale. 

The  provision  requiring  one-half  the  road  funds  to  be  set  aside  as 
a  Good  Roads  Fund  was  one  of  the  recommendations  of  the  Highway 
Commission;  it  did  not  become  a  law,  as  Mr.  Owen  seems  to  infer.  A 
careful  reading  of  the  paper  will  correct  this  misapprehension;  nor 
was  the  recommendation  carried  out  that  $100  000  be  appropriated  as 
a  Maintenance  Fund. 

The  provision  in  the  Canadian  law,  mentioned  by  Mr.  Tillson, 
permitting  the  engineer  to  bid  in  the  work  and  perform  the  same  by 
day’s  labor,  is  an  excellent  one,  as  it  provides  an  adequate  check  on 
collusion  among  bidders. 


the  library  of  the 

JUL  2  5  1924 

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